Skate 2
Skate 2 is a skateboarding video game that falls under the genre of sports game with an ESRB rating of T for Teens. It was officially announced in May 2008 as a sequel to the original Skate, although the company had decided to begin work on it earlier due to the fact that the original game posted bigger numbers compared to rival Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground. Skate 2 was developed by EA Black Box, published by Electronic Arts and designed by Scott Blackwood for the PlayStation 3 game console. It was released to North America on January 21, 2009 and to the rest of the world on January 23 2009. In contrast to the original, Skate 2 features more tricks including foot-plants, hand-plants, fingerflips, lip tricks, hippy jumps which involves players jumping off the board while it rolls along the ground and then landing on it, as well as the ability to skitch which involves pulling the bumper of a moving car while on a skateboard to gain speed. Not only that, it also features the choice of creating either a male or female character as compared to the original game which only had a male option. There are also other activities in the game, including the ability for players to get off their board and walk during which players can move and interact with certain objects in the world to create their own spots which will then be upload-able online via PlayStation Network. In addition to that, players can also download spots from other players and beat the high score to “own” them. Not only that, players will also be allowed to customize their skateboard and their clothing via the new graphics theatre. Alternatively, players can also purchase property and skate parks in the game.
Reviews
Skate 2 features Flight Night-inspired Flickit control system to perform moves. Although there have been a number of additions which players really wanted to see after playing the first one, it is clear that the game is not as fresh as it could due to the fact that the sequel was merely improved upon with fixes for the elements from the first game. Also, although the new moves were expected to work in theory, not all of them worked smoothly when implemented. Not only that, Skate 2 also allows you to get off your board and explore San Van on foot, including getting up a set of stairs quickly or staying still to look around and plot your next line. Players can also move bits of the world around while staying off their board. However, controls to move your skater around on foot is borderline terrible as the camera is shaky and movement is so stiff and unnatural that it is hard to get your skater to do what you want him to. Ironically, once you get your skater to be in the right place to grab the object, moving it exactly where you want them is easy. Players get to create their own spot by moving objects, opening up the Create-a-Spot editor and manipulating a large highlight zone to set it, skate it to set the score and upload it on Playstation Network for other people to try. Not only that, there is also a replay/ film editor as in the previous game with an addition of additional two cameras to use including a tripod that stays put but centers its view on your skater and a freeform follow camera that moves along with your skater but that you’re able to place at any angle around your skater. However, all the film effects are gone.
“Even if you’ve played a lot of Skate, there are definitely enough new features and improvements in Skate 2 to make it worth a look. The presentation is slick, the controls are great, and at times you really do feel like you’re skateboarding. It’s unfortunate that things get dragged down by the occasionally frustrating and buggy challenges; that walking on foot isn’t handled better; and that the game’s physics and artificial intelligence aren’t consistent and sometimes get in the way of the gameplay; because Skate 2 has so much to offer. Oh, and the bone-breaking bails that would kill you in real life are just another way to earn money here, so Skate 2 is not only a fun alternative to taking to the streets, it’s a safe one.” (GameSpot, 2009)
